What is Lutheran Disaster Response?
Since 1973, we have remained grounded in our mission to share God’s hope, healing and renewal with people impacted by disasters and other humanitarian crises. We recognize that every disaster is local and that community leaders and organizations are best equipped to address needs following a disaster. We accompany partners worldwide across the disaster cycle—response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness—providing financial support, technical assistance, advocacy and networking. This work is relational: we stand with communities, congregations, and synods, social ministry partners, community-based organizations, tribal nations, companion churches and ecumenical partners.
Through the faithful work of our network, the Community of Practice, Luheran Disaster Response (LDR) is a trusted and dependable partner. We work with everyone and stay as long as needed, often for years. Key work includes providing emotional and spiritual care for affected people and leaders who respond, assisting communities holistically to meet varied needs, and preparedness planning and providing long-term recovery by addressing unmet needs months or years after a disaster strikes.
Accompaniment, Trainings and Coordination
Every disaster begins and ends locally, with neighbors caring for each other. In a crisis, local leadership and community networks are the first and last lines of care. Because every community and disaster is unique, our approach is accompaniment: LDR walks with communities before, during and after.
LDR provides a variety of no-cost learning opportunities delivered by subject matter experts and open to the public. Trainings include: long-term recovery, disaster case management, emotional and spiritual care, preparedness, clean-up and rebuilding, volunteer coordination and advocacy.
LDR provides ongoing mentorship and collaboration to synods, congregations, social ministry organizations and community partners working in disaster response and recovery.
Where We Work
Before, During, and After a Disaster
Working with Global Ecumenical Partners
Current Thrive Edition
How You Can Support
Your generous donation provides resources to help rebuild lives and communities of those dealing with natural disasters, famine, war or violence. Your gifts designated for a specific response will be used entirely (100%) for those whose lives have been impacted in the region.
Preparedness, Response and Spiritual Care
Preparedness can save lives, limits damage and reduces physical, economic and emotional impacts of a disaster. Prepared communities recover faster. Grounded in faith, LDR helps individuals and congregations prepare.
If your community is impacted by a disaster, please reach out to local emergency management and the Red Cross. If you are interested in supporting a disaster response, please contact your church or synod first; they can contact LDR. Do not self-deploy or send unsolicited goods; ask local responders or emergency management. The best way to help is with financial support because it provides flexibility to respond to changing needs and support local businesses in the impacted area.
LDR’s robust emotional and spiritual care ministry supports people through every stage of disaster, mitigating impacts, speeding recovery, tending emotional needs and drawing on faith for healing.
Worldwide Impact
In 2024, LDR supported work in 53 countries (including the United States) and 36 U.S. states and territories, which was made possible due to more than $17.4 million in donations.
Order your materials to help spread the word about LDR’s impact when disaster strikes.
Stay up to date about disaster situations and our work with LDR on Facebook or follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.
For information about consultation or to request a training workshop, please contact our Training and Networks team.
This manual assists congregations in preparing for disaster.
Grants from LDR
Lutheran Disaster Response awards grants to ELCA synods, global companion churches, Lutheran social ministry organizations, ecumenical partners, tribal nations, and community organizations to support responses that address local needs of impacted communities. Please note that Lutheran Disaster Response does not provide grants to individuals. All funding provided by LDR is done in the context of a relationship with a partner organization, directly or a fiscal partner.
A solidarity grant is a small (typically $5,000-$20,000) grant that LDR provides to local partners shortly after a disaster event occurs to help with immediate needs, such as food, shelter, medical, roof tarps, etc. These short-term grants are designed to be flexible and responsive to the often-changing situations on the ground that occur after a disaster or crisis event, putting resources into the hands of those impacted as quickly as possible.
LDR also provides larger grants to support a community’s recovery after a specific disaster or crisis event. Examples include funding for outreach to disaster survivors, support for disaster case management and funding for unmet needs related to survivor and community recovery.
Lutheran Disaster Response also invests in building resilient communities. Resiliency grants aim to help communities build their capacity to address the root causes of disasters and reduce their negative impacts. These grants may focus on climate justice, disaster risk reduction and hazard mitigation/preparedness.
Before applying, contact LDR by email. More than a funder, LDR aspires to be a partner. We will meet, hear your community’s needs, and through dialogue and reflection, identify how LDR might best support your work in your community. Our team is experienced, resourceful and creative, and we are open to brainstorming with you about possible solutions to the challenges your community is experiencing. For organizations invited to apply for a grant, LDR staff will assist in navigating the grant partnership process.
LDR is committed to working in and through relationships with partners across the U.S. and around the world. We work hard intentionally to cultivate and nurture these connections before, during and after disasters, recognizing that mutual learning and collaboration are transformative.
LDR is committed to working in and through relationships with partners across the U.S. and around the world. We work hard to cultivate and nurture these connections before, during and after disasters, recognizing that mutual learning and collaboration are transformative.
